188 HUMAN DISSECTION. ITS DRAMA AND STRUGGLE 



alternative was to strap a specially designed harness under the 

 arms, with a ring in the back, to which a rope was tied. The cloth- 

 ing and any other apparel were stripped from the subject and 

 thrown back into the grave; the body and all the tools utilized 

 were wrapped and tied in the auxiliary canvas. Finally, the ex- 

 cavated soil was returned to the grave and the surface carefully 

 restored as nearly as possible to its former state. An average time of 

 one hour was required to complete the over-all job. 



A dark lantern was an absolute necessity to carry out the 

 proceedings and it had to be carefully shaded; this was usually 

 done by setting it on a hook and placing the second tarpaulin 

 partially over it. A bright light in a cemetery at night was a dead 

 give-a-way and if seen would set off a general alarm, bringing 

 a group of irate citizens to the scene. 



The acquisition of bodies was seasonal, mostly from Novem- ; 

 ber to February, during the interval anatomical classes were held 

 in the medical colleges and while the weather was cool. A body 

 was dissected immediately for two reasons: embalming was not 

 in use and there was always danger of discovery. In the United 

 States, as in Europe, the graves of paupers were more attractive 

 to the resurrectionists than others. These seemed to be fair game 

 for body snatchers, whether amateur or professional. Public au- 

 thorities were apt to be lenient and turn their heads in the 

 opposite direction in such cases (Waite, '45b). 



Some secrecy was maintained when a body was received at 

 the medical college. First, all articles of clothing were burned, 

 if they were still on which was unusual. Within a few hours, the 

 skin of the head would be removed and all identifying scars or 

 marks eradicated. This was done to prevent recognition in case 

 the premises were searched. Since reparative dentistry was un- 

 developed during the early 1800's, fewer identifying character- 

 istics could be discerned by means of the teeth. This custom, 

 together with concealment of the body, usually made search for 

 bodies by interested individuals unsuccessful. 



Any visitor would probably have seen few subjects in places 

 where dissection was practiced. Anatomies were performed 

 quickly for obvious reasons. Usually students worked as steadily 

 as possible so that the task was often completed within a week; 



